The Forest of Inuyasha
by crazyforthefox
Summary: This is my first Inuyasha fan fic. I wrote it to inroduce the character I created named Zora.Standard Disclaimers apply.


The Forest of Inuyasha

            She was five the very first time she'd ran into the forest of Inuyasha. Like all the other children she'd been warned not to go into the forest of the dog demon that slept pinned to a tree under the spell of a sacred arrow. Tears ran down her cheeks leaving behind clear streaks on her dirt-smeared face. She'd run into the forest to escape the village children who were tormenting her.

            Blinded by her tears she didn't see where she was going till it was nearly too late. She stopped and stared up at the demon everyone feared. Long silver hair blew gently in the breeze; his handsome face was relaxed in peaceful slumber. She wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve, and then bowed to the sleeping half-demon as if he were royalty. 

            "Hello, My name is Zora. It's nice to meet you Inuyasha," she told him.

            Settling herself in the grass Zora sat and stared up at the hanyou.  She talked to him as if he could hear what she said and would giggle on occasion as though Inuyasha had said something humorous only she could hear. She stayed there for hours, finding solace in the demon's presence. She left when she was sure her mother would just now be getting dinner on the table.

            An eight-year-old Zora crawled up the twisting branches that surrounded Inuyasha and curled up next to his chest. Tears once again streaked her face, but these were tears for another reason. She'd just witnessed the death of her grandmother at the hands of frightened villagers. 

            Now all she wanted was to stay with Inuyasha and forget what had happened. She knew she and her mother would have been killed as well if they hadn't been in a neighboring village. They'd accused her grandmother of placing a curse on someone's child and that was all it had taken to end the life of someone who'd done nothing but good.

            She cried herself to sleep listening to the sound of Inuyasha's beating heart. Little did she know she was being watched by a figure hidden in the shadows.

            Sesshomaru had watched the girl clamor up to his brother, tears coursing silently down her face. Just as silently he walked up to the sleeping child and gazed at her awhile. She intrigued him; she showed no fear neither of his brother nor of the forest. He'd watched her a time or two talking to Inuyasha, he knew she brought him food.

            Unable to stop himself he reached out and brushed a tear away from her face, capturing it on his fingertips. Bringing them to his lips he felt compelled to taste it. She tasted like strawberries, one of his favorite dishes. With gentleness few ever saw, he wiped the remaining tears away from her face, just then she shifted and snuggled into his hand.

            Sesshomaru froze not knowing how to respond, he was released from the spell when Jaken stumbled into the clearing. Quickly he snatched his hand away and noticed Zora frowned at the movement.

            "M' Lord who is that wretched human child?" Jaken asked catching sight of the sleeping girl.

            "I don't know," came the soft reply.

            Jaken stepped forward his two – headed staff raised as if to strike the slumbering child.

            To his surprise Sesshomaru noticed Zora's frown grew at that precise moment.

            "Make the bad, little toad go away Inuyasha. I don't like him," Zora muttered in her sleep.

            Jaken sneered at the child and decided to aim his staff not at the child, but his master's brother instead. He swung as hard as he could intending to end the hanyou's life, but the staff was stopped inches away from one of Inuyasha's velvety ears.

            The eyes of both demons swung to look at the little girl, who was no longer asleep, but wide awake the last few words of a spell dying on her lips. In the next instance Jaken was sent flying out of the forest.

            Zora turned to look at the other demon and studied his face a moment, her little brow wrinkled in confusion. She looked from Inuyasha to him and back again. Suddenly understanding dawned and she gave the handsome demon a shy smile.

            Sesshomaru was surprised when the child didn't immediately start screaming when she saw him. He knew too the moment she realized who he was.  He watched as she looked at his hand and then touched a small hand to her face where he'd touched her.

            Both man and girl turned their heads in the direction of the village when the voices of some of the villagers could be heard calling her name.  Scrambling down from her perch she took off running, stopping only once to wave good –bye to the two brothers.

            Two years later a ten-year-old Zora stood staring up at Inuyasha once again. A threadbare sack full of the only possessions she had left in the world clutched in her arms.

            "I can't live in the village anymore, Inuyasha. My mother has declared she'll have revenge for what happened to my grandmother. She's lost herself in grief; she's turned to the Dark Arts. She says that if she's going to have the reputation of an evil witch than it will be a deserved one," Zora told the sleeping half – breed. "I can't follow her down that path though, if I do than everything my grandmother's done will be for nothing. I've lost my mother and my home today, so I've decided to live here. This forest is my home now, I'll continue to care for those in need of a healer's touch, but only those who are brave enough to dare the dangers of the heart of the forest, will be worthy."

            Setting her sack down Zora started to build a fire to fix her supper on. An hour later she was eating a tasty bowl of stew. Her dinner however was interrupted by a small child suddenly running into the clearing, followed by a rather large bull demon. The child spotting Zora ran over to the young girl seeking refuge.

            "Help, me," the child wailed.

            Unfortunately, the demon also changed course following its intended victim. The demon smiled when he spotted the young girl deciding she'd make a tasty treat. The smile grew when he realized the demon pinned to the tree behind was the brother of Lord Sesshomaru, the bastard who'd killed his entire family in the search for some sword. He'd have his revenge on the younger obviously helpless brother.

            Zora reacted on instinct knowing only that she had to protect Inuyasha and the child from the fast approaching demon. She mostly knew defensive spells, but she knew a few offensive ones as well. Closing her eyes she began to chant softly under her breath. As she chanted she held her right arm out over the fire.

            Slowly a ball of fire began to grow in her hand, the demon was almost upon them when she threw the fireball hitting the bull demon square in the chest making him nothing more than a bad memory.

            The child was a little boy she recognized from the village. Wordlessly she handed him a bowl of soup before dipping one up for the sleeping dog demon. She paused in the act of setting the bowl down and peered hard into some nearby bushes. Not wanting to scare the boy anymore than he already was Zora settled herself by the fire. Hours later after the boy was asleep, she rose again and set two bowls over by the bushes with a quickly scribbled note.

            Sesshomaru emerged only after he was sure both children were sleeping soundly. It didn't surprise him at all to see that the girl slept as close to his brother as she could having chosen to spread her sleeping mat out underneath Inuyasha.

            Bending down he picked up her little note and read it. 'For you and the nasty little toad.'

            In the morning Zora found the bowls neatly stacked and smiled knowing he'd quietly come and went. Moments later she met Lady Kaede at the edge of the forest handing the young child off into her care. Softly declining offers to return to the village.

Kaede watched as the young girl disappeared into the forest. 

            Zora stretched lazily beside the God Tree. It had been five years since she'd left the village and last seen Inuyasha's brother. She was helping people with her gifts and only for those who were truly deserving did she every leave her sanctuary to heal.

            "Just be patient a little longer, the spell of the sacred arrow will be broken soon," she told Inuyasha.

            'I just hope you won't be to rude to the girl who finally does it,' she thought.

            Five years later Zora listened patiently as a patient told her about the strange girl from the future who'd released the dog demon from his spell against the God Tree. They told her about the strange group the two had gathered an orphaned fox child, an amorous monk with a wind tunnel in his right hand, a demon slayer who'd lost her family and village, a flea demon who knew the safest places to run to, and a fire cat that liked to eat demons.

            "Thank you, White Witch," her patient said once she was done. Bowing the man paid her and left.

            That night laughter was heard for the first time in ten years coming from the heart of the Forest of Inuyasha.


End file.
